The UN GAID 2006-2007 Business Plan indicates that the mission of the GAID is to contribute to transforming the spirit and vision of the World Summit on the Information Society into action, and promoting the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) for the achievement of internationally agreed development goals, including the Millennium Development Goals. UN GAID also has established an implementation methodology with a matrix of activities, including regional networks, stakeholder networks, communities of expertise, flagship partnership initiatives, and advocacy themes. The Strategy and Policy of Enhancing Access to and Application of Scientific Data in Developing Countries was selected by UN GAID as one of the "communities of expertise" and designated for implementation in the area of "Education" instead of "Governance" as originally proposed. The original title of this program also has been changed to the following: Global Alliance for Enhancing Access to and Application of Scientific Data in Developing Countries， or "e-SDDC" for short.

The mission of the e-SDDC is bridging research, education, and policy on scientific data in developing countries under the UN GAID framework, and creating a forum or platform for dialogue for all stakeholders to: (1) identify and evaluate different mechanisms and policies for promoting greater access to and use of digital S&T resources for meeting the needs of developing countries in policy reform in scientific data management and applications; and (2) help build a distributed and decentralized network of networks in scientific data and information resources for innovative research, sustainable development, and better life in the developing world. The implementation strategy for the e-SDDC activity may be summarized as: Networking – OpenAccess – Innovation – Development.
The e-SDDC will seek to integrate five specific types of networks, which are focused on providing open access to and application of scientific data for capacity building and development in developing countries. These five kinds of networks are: Think Tank Network; Scientific Data Sharing Network; Technology Transfer and Assistance Network; On-line Teaching and Training Network; and Network on Scientific Data Dimensions of Disaster Mitigation, Poverty Reduction and Public Health.

Twenty-nine organizations from 17 countries have already been invited to participate in the e-SDDC program. The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) is the lead organization. Co-leader organizations include the CODATA Task Group on Preservation of and Access to S&T Data in Developing Countries, the Consultant Committee on ICT for UN of the Chinese Association for Science and Technology (CCIT/CAST), the Internet Society of China (ISC), the Environmental Reference Information Center (CRIA) of Brazil, the Center of International Earth Science Information Network of Columbia University (CIESIN) in the U.S, and the National Research Foundation of South Africa (NRF). The Steering Committee will be organized and composed of representatives from CAS, CODATA, ICSU, TWAS, NRF, CONGO, UNESCO, UNDP, WB, MOST, CAST, CAL, IAP, OECD, and UN GAID High Level Advisors.

In addition to participating in the UN GAID Strategy Council Meeting in Santa Clara on 28-29 February 2007 and in the UN GAID Forum 28-29 May 2007, the e-SDDC program will hold its first Steering Committee meeting in March or April in Beijing and its launch meeting on 7 May in Sao Paolo, Brazil just before the International Workshop on Strategy and Policy of Scientific Data in Latin America.